Floor-surfacing machine.



1 29 INVENTOR.68

gum/ Q44 4 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

" Mums-shim 1.

7'8 757? 2. FIJI-Ir E. E. HUGHES.

FLOOR SURFAGING' MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1,1 9os.'

TI13 E WITNESSES E. E. HUGHES.

, FLOOR SURPAGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1908.

1 ,O23, 25 1 Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6& l7 2122 55 67 1 WITNESSES IN V EN TOR.

20M" WM 444/, ATTORNEY.

40 I attain these objects by the means EVAN E. HUGHES," or MERIDEN, cormncrrcurrnoonfsunr'ecme mncnmn. 7

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 19 12.

Application filed June 1, 1908. Serial No. 415,939.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVAN E. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States of America, "residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have in venteda new and useful Floor-Surfacing Machine, of which the following is a specification'. My inve tion relates toim'provements in floor surfac ng machines and consists essentiallyof a car suitable to run over a floor either forwarder backward and at variable speeds, rotary grinding-cylinders, suitable means to support said cylinders on said car, and means to rotate said cylinders and to operate the car.

The objects of my invention are, first, to-

provide a simple durable and economical self-propelling machine that will, when run over a floor, grind it down to a perfectly smooth and even surface; second, to provide a machine of this kind that can be operated in either direction and in which the speed can be so regulated that said machine will satisfactorily perform its work according to the conditions under which it is being operated, that is, will act successfully on a floor which is more or less uneven and which may vary i hardness so that more abrasion is 80 required in some p aces than in others; third, to provide such a machinethat can be operated at any speed desired up to the maximum and either forward or backward with equal efliciency; fourth, to aiford means in such a machine for readily overniu both the propulsion and the grin ing function of the same; and fifth, to produce a floor surfacing machiqe that is withall practicable and eflicient.

illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- I Figure 1 is a view of one side'of the machine showing part of the interior mecha- 46 nism in dotted lines; Fig. 2 a view of the other side of said machine; Fig. 3 a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. t a plan view with the top removed; Fig. 5 an enlarged.

detail of 'a part of one of the grindingcylinders showin the mode of fastening the grinding materia theretoyFig. 6 a rspect-ive view of one of the grinding-cy inders; Fig. 7 a detail end view of one of the grinding-cylinders showingthe method of adjusting the boxes; and Fig. 8 a detail view of the friction journal-box."

, Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents a suitable frame supported at the rear end on a pair of driving wheels 2 and at the front end on a pair of steering Wheels 3. The wheels 3 are set in swivels having forwardly extending bars 4 to the forward ends of which is pivoted a crossbar 5. To the lower end of a steering rod 6 is permanently attached a forwardly extending rod 7 which is pivotally attached to the cross-bar 5.. It is by these means that my machine issteered, for when the steering rod .6 is turned, the rod 7 carries the cross-bar 5 in the direction it is required to go, which turns the wheels 3 on their swivels by means of the bars 4.

The axles'8 and 9 of the grinding-cylinders 10 and 11 respectively are journaled in boizes 12 which are adjustably fastened to arms 13 by being bolted thereto through slots 14 in said arms, and said boxes are so fastened in order to afford the necessary adjustment for the chains hereinafter to be described. The arms 13, four, in number, are arranged longitudinally, two on either sideof the frame extending from the transverse center thereof, and, are pivoted to said frame at points intermediate their ends designated as 15.

In the center of each side of the frame is a vertical slot 16 having a member 17 slid ingly mounted therein to which the arms .13 are pivoted at 18 through slots 19 in said arms. The purpose of the said slots 19 is to provide means for the necessary movement of the pivot 18 in thearms 13 necessitated by the arms swinging on'pivots and inscribing arcs in their movements hereinafter to be described, otherwise the mechanism would be inoperative. To a shaft 20 journaled in the frame and just inside of the sides of said frame, are fastened two levers 21 the ends of which are turned outward to pass through vertical slots 22 in the frame. The outturned ends of the levers 21 are pivoted tothe members 17. To the said shaft 20 is suitably fastened a treadle 23.,

Below the arms 13 are springs 24 which bear against said arms to force or tension them upward at the center and thereby hold the grinding-cylinders firmly against the floor. Thus it may be seen that when the 1 treadle 23 is rocked forward the levers 21 force the members 17 downward in their slots thereby swinging the arms 13 on the pivots 15 and against the resiliency of the springs 24, and raise the grinding-cylinders 10'and 11' from the floor. When the pressure on the treadle 23 is removed the weight of the cylinders augmented by the-force of the springs 24 will again bringsaid cylinders in contact with th floor. a Above thea'rms 13 and fastened to the body are small plates 25 the lowerportion of which are turned outward and tapped to re- I ceive vertically placed screws 26. These screws 26 act as gages for the grindingcylinders 10 and 11, for they are designed to be and in practice are so adjusted that they limit the upward movement of the arms 13 and consequently the downward movement of the-grinding-cylinders and so prevent the latter from going into hollows and declivities in the floor upon which the machine is being operated.

The motive power of my machine may be supplied by any suitable engine or motor operated either by hand or power, but I prefer to employ an electric motor, as 27,

mounted on the top of the frame and to which the electricity may be supplied from any convenient source (not shown).

28 represents the switch for turning on and off the current supplied and 29 the 30 starting-box the purposes of which are wellknown in the art and constitute no part of my invention.-

The power of the motor 27 is transmitted to a counter-shaft 30 by means of a sprocketwheel 31 on the shaft 32 of the motor 27, a sprocket-wheel 33 on the counter-shaft and a sprocket-chain 34. On the counter- J shaft 30 is a gear 35 that mesheswith a gear 36 on a second shaft 37 wherebythe shaft 37 is rotated in a contrary direction to the rotation of the shaft 30. Y The shafts 30 and 37 are provided with sprockets 39. and 40, -respectively, that operate, by means of sprocketchains 41 and 42, sprockets 43 and 44 on the axles 8 and -9 of the grinding-cylinders 10 and 11. The grinding-cyl: inders consequently rotate in opposite directions to each other and toward the lower edgeof the frame; or outwardly so as to throw the dust they make in grinding into pans 45 provided to receive it. The dust 7 from the pans '45 is drawn"through pipes 46 by an exhaust fan 47, operated directly 7 from the motor by means of sprocket-wheels 48 and 49 on' the motor-shaft and fan-shaft respectively driven by a sprocket-chain 50,

and discharged from such into a suitable receptacle 51. i

a On the free end of the counter-shaft 30 j 6 and inside of the frame is a disk 52 rotating with said shaft and being covered on its face with leatheror some other suitable material, Bearing against the faceof the disk 52 is a friction-pulley 53 which is slid 65 ingly mounted on a longitudinally extending -state together.

,th said disk may be in motion, if the frictio n shaft54 and splined thereto'so that both r0,- The shaft 54 runs at its forward end in a pivot-box 55 and at its other end ina bearing 56. The pivot-box 55 is fastened to the frame by being bolted at 57 7 through a short transverse slot 58 in the top thereof. This arrangement allows the box 55 to move and gives play to a spring 59 Which acts agains said" box 55 and by so doing holds the fri tion-pulley 53 firmly against the face of t e disk 52. The rear portion of the shaft 5 is made in the shape I of a worm 60 and th s wormmeshes into a worm-wheel 61 on the axle ofthe driving wheels. I

To a loosely fitting collar 62 on the hub of the friction-pulley 53 is attached a loosely fitting collar 63 on the shaft 54. To the sides of the collar 63 are pivoted rods 64 which'are also pivoted to the lower end of a lever 65 which in turn is pivoted to a bracket 66 on the frame at 67. As the contact of the friction-pulley is on the face, pf the disk 52, it will be seen that, although -pulley is at the center of said disk, it will not rotate as the upward and downward forces of theface of said disk on the opposite sides of its center will act equally upon the friction-pulley and it will simply slide thereon, but as the lever 65 is'brought forward the said pulley is drawn backward and rotates gradually faster until. the periphery of the disk'is reached when it will have reached its maximum speed forward; if the lever 65 is brought backward the fricti'on-pulley 53 will'move forward of the center of the disk and the result will be exactly the reverse with the same gradual increase of speed backward, By this. method I can obtain any speed desired up to the 7 maximum, and either forward or backward with equal efliciency. l I

The surfaces of the grinding-cylinders are covered with some suitable material to form a cushion 68 for the grinding-material 69. This cushion I preferably make of carpeting but as many other materials such as rubber and felt are equally as good I do. not wish to limitmyself to'that selection. The outer or grinding surface of said cylinders consists of sand-paper 69 or some other material having the necessary grinding or abrading quality, the choice of which must necessarily be governed by the material of the floor upon which the cylinders are to operate, and such sand-paper covering is fastened to each of thesaid cylinders by some suitable means, such as that shown in' Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the ends or. longitudinal edges of said covering are first inserted in a longitudinal slot 70 in said cylinder, then a rod or wedge 71' pivoted at one end to the corresponding end of said cylinder at 72, is swung down on said pivot 72 engaging the said ends or edges of'the grinding material and thereby drawing the said material snugly around the cylinder and ,wedging'the said ends firmly in said slot. The wedge 71 isthen fastened in the slot by a latch 73., The said latch is pivoted to the end of the grinding-cylinder and has a nose 74 that fits into a slot 7 5 in said wedge. This method not only holds the grinding-material firmly but the wedging action of the rod 71 in the slot draws said material tightly and snugly around the cylinder so that a good grinding surface is afforded.

I do not intend tozlimit my invention, in

all points, to the precise mechanism shown, and many modifications will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art; but

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is l. The combination in a floor surfacing machine, of a car, a variable speed friction drive, a grinding-cylinder.mounted on said car, means carried by said car to operate tion-drive, and a worm and worm-wheel to transmit motion from the friction-drive to the ,car. 7

2. The combination in a floor surfacing machine, of a car, upward spring pressed arms pivoted intermediate their ends thereto, grinding-cylinders I mounted on saic arms, arm-actuating members slidingly mounted in said car and pivotally attached to saidarms', levers to reciprocate said mem bers, a fan, a variable-speed friction-drive, means to'operate said fan, means to rotate saidcylinders, means to operate said friction-drive from the cylinder operating means, and a worm and worm-wheel to transmit motion from said friction-drive to the car.

' EVAN E. HUGHES.

Witnesses: I

ALFRED B. AUBREY, FANNIE DU PLEAsIs. 

